Oftentimes when I'm seeking advice from friends who are authorities in different areas of life I’m less interested in options and more interested in concrete recommendations. With that in mind, I'm offering my favorite woods that I use along with my reasons why. First off, I use primarily hardwoods. Softwoods like pine are great for construction but they lack the stability needed for cutting boards, utensils, etc. My “go to” woods are maple, cherry and walnut because of their hardness and contrast with each other; oftentimes I will substitute mahogany or padauk for the walnut while keeping similar characteristics. Of these my favorite wood to use (perhaps surprisingly) is maple. It is a clean, light colored wood that shows its...
For centuries wood has been a popular option for cooking utensils. These days a lot of people prefer wood over other options, for a variety of reasons. Here are some of the benefits of utilizing wooden cooking utensils as opposed to metal or plastic. Wooden Utensils Will Not Scratch Your CookwareWooden utensils are easy on your pots and pans, and won’t scratch nonstick surfaces. They’re also much “quieter” than metal utensils. Wooden Utensils Don’t Conduct HeatWooden utensils, unlike metal, don’t conduct heat…. consequently, they don’t impact cooking temperature negatively or create “hot” handles to burn your hand while cooking. Plastic can melt if left resting in a hot pan or pot, not to mention questionable chemicals “leaching” into your...
